


The Weight of the Crown

by firststar46



Category: Keyakizaka46 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 23:00:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16128512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firststar46/pseuds/firststar46
Summary: Being a royal isn't as easy as others imagined it to be. Sometimes it'll only take two of your valuable guards, your seemingly peaceful kingdom, and the universe will re-align. It isn't just about getting served, but serving for them; and it isn't just about protecting you, but rather, protecting what you think is right, and the people around you.





	1. Chapter 1

The sun slowly approached and shared its warmth from the horizon, roosters from different farmlands were crying as a signal that it was already morning. The morning dew was halfway dried when finally the curtains of the palace were opened. The butlers and maids were on their usual routine of waking up five o’clock in the morning to start preparing the palace for any appointments or court hearings the royalties might have.

Of course breakfast goes first, but the highnesses just won’t begin until their eldest arrives at the dining hall. The latter was still peacefully asleep inside her bedroom, and even if the sun was already at its peak and its rays are hitting her windows flashing its light on her eyelids, she starts to stir from her slumber and turn to her opposite direction, totally undisturbed.

A short knock on her door stirs her from her sleep once again.

“Yui-sama…?”

There was no answer, an expected reply, but of course the maid wouldn’t go back to her master without the princess. 

“Yui-sama?” She pauses for a while in case there may be any reply, but still none. “Your mother wishes me to wake you up from your sleep.”

“Which one?”

The maid was taken aback by the sudden question but nonetheless she tried her hardest to stifle a laughter. The princess could be harsh and sharp-tongued but it’s an evidence that she got it from the Queen of the palace.

“I-It was an order from Yuuka-sama.”

“....Right…” Even the princess of the kingdom can’t put up a resistance if it was an instruction from the King; although it’s an understandable statement since she’s the ruler of the kingdom and her orders are absolute. “..Kindly tell them I’ll be heading to the hall in a bit..”

“I’ll be taking my leave now then.”

A few minutes had passed and the young girl eventually rises from her bed, giving herself another few more minutes to conditionalize and prevent any head rush from setting in. Soon, she starts combing her hair in front of the mirror, making sure there aren’t any stray hairs ruining her look. She ties it in a ponytail and finally washes her face to completely wake her up.

Yui takes her phone and scans the message sent to her by her tutor Yone, basically telling her to prepare for a simple test she made to see how much she had progressed in literature. There was another one sent by Imaizumi, reminding her about their guitar lesson sometime just after her tutor. After those two lessons she had for the day, Yui begins to think what other pastime she could do during her free time. But she knew she’s probably just going to spend it with two of the most idiot guards she ever had.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another knock on her door, but this time it was louder. “Yuichan~ time to go out and play~”

And how do you know, speaking of the devil.

“Oi Manaka, it’s still too early for that!” Another voice retorts.

The princess opens her door and there they stood, donned in their uniforms and rearing to go. Manaka does a playful salute and winks at Yui’s direction. “How’s the beauty sleep? Did you get any nightmares?”

“If she did have nightmares I bet she’ll dream of me saving her though.” Risa snickers and raises an eyebrow towards Manaka, who was currently sending her a large amount of electricity through her sharp gaze. Risa sticks her tongue out for a bit towards her partner.

“Alright playtime’s over… I’m hungry. ” Yui taps them both on the shoulder as she walks past them. “Have you two eaten yet?”

The duo stops and shyly shook their heads. “We woke up early for today’s warm up, chief is a bit.. in the mood today.” Manaka suddenly felt shivers run down her spine at Risa’s explanation. “And by that I mean he made us run for a mile.”

The two of the royal guards are supposed to be used to it for they’ve been kept in shape ever since they were assigned as the 1st princess’ guardians, but the longer they serve for the royals it gets gradually even more difficult.

They were supposed to be walking down the large hallways of the palace towards to the dining hall, but Yui stops in her tracks and looks at them dead in the eye. “Didn’t I already told you to eat before you train?”

“It was just a warm u--” Risa was immediately silenced by a sharp shush.

“I don’t care. What if you forgot to eat and there was an urgency?”

“Go through the pantry and stea--” Manaka’s mouth was shunned by Risa. Yui massages the bridge of her nose, slightly exasperated. “...Sorry.”

It was a common scenario for the trio. But nonetheless it was just their ways of taking care of each other just like siblings. The duo watching over the royal heir and the younger girl teaching them over common sense and anything practical, but mostly common sense.

They soon arrived at the dining hall and there the Queen was, patting a clean cloth over her lips as she stood up from the gigantic seat made from the finest trees of the kingdom.

Standing beside her are her guard and secretary. The taller girl, Suzuka, with her long black hair tied into ponytail and hand resting on the hilt of her sword, noticed them first. The secretary looks older and experienced… in many way. A small one tailed fox like creature, a Kitsune, peeked out of Manamo’s chest pocket-- A custom addition to her guard uniform.

The Queen then realizes the entrance of her eldest daughter along with her two guards and welcomes her child with open arms.

“Morning mother.” Yui walks over to Akane and plants a kiss on her cheek. “Where’s mama?”

“She already left for the court for today’s hearing. Do you have something to tell her?” 

The young girl shook her head, a little relieved. “Nothing at all. I just thought if she’s upset at me for waking up late this morning.”

Akane chuckles and pats the head of her daughter. “Don’t worry about it.” 

“Where’s Techi?”

“She’s already done eating halfway through her breakfast when she suddenly leaves to train with Miho. Sheesh, I don’t know what’s with that girl recently.” The queen sighs as she glanced at the plate with unfinished food in front of hers.

Yui smiles at her mother’s remark. “It’s just a phase mom, soon she’ll be just like me.”

Akane sighs once again. Her daughter just chuckles as she sat down in front of the grand table as her breakfast arrives in front of her. Eggs benedict and sourdough bread made fresh from the royal kitchen. 

“I should probably get going. I’ll be joining your mom at the court today.” The queen says as she walked towards the large door heading towards the main hall, a car should already be readied to take her to her destination. Suzuka and Manamo followed her closely, exchanging a friendly smile to Manaka and Risa. “And don’t forget to visit the royal dresser later on for a fit for tomorrow’s party here at the Palace.”

The princess furrows her eyebrows upon hearing the term ‘party’, knowing full well that several suitors from different kingdoms she barely knew would try and court her or even ask for a dance, which is something that she’s been trying to avoid since the first day she had her party.

For a good quarter of an hour, she was taking her time eating her breakfast when a loud grumble could be heard just behind her. Yui looks back and sees her guardians looking a bit pale and stiff. Manaka was dodging her glances and Risa just looks straight ahead.

Luckily her belly felt a bit full, and the bread was a little too much for her to consume. She breaks it in half and spreads a generous amount of butter on each, before handing both of it to them. “I’m already full, so you two can eat these.”

The pair looked at each other, and was terribly torn if they should refuse as a sign of respect to them or accept the offer of eating the rest of the princess’ breakfast. “Thank you princess but.. we’ll just eat at the staff’s room later.” Risa smiles as she took down the offer. “We can’t simply eat food prepared for a royal’s plate.”

But those words fall into deaf ears as the princess didn’t move a single muscle as well. She knew the two were pushing themselves a bit harshly just because in the eyes of the staff of the palace, her guards are still treated as outsiders, and she can’t simply live with that. 

She smiles as she reached the bread in front of her guardians’ mouths. “Guards or not, I still treat you as my siblings.”

Risa’s reasoning was being pushed away by the hunger growing in her stomach, she looks beside her and her partner did the same. Manaka was looking back and forth at the bread and at her; it’s up to her to answer since she’s the older one among them.

“Well… if you say so…”

The princess beams at her reply as they both took the bread. Manaka was heavily munching on the food and glorifying how the royals’ food are on a different dimension than those dishes made for the guardians and other staffs. Meanwhile Risa was slowly eating her portion, still uncertain but takes it anyway to save themselves from more scolding.

“My stomach’s been killing me during our long run.” Manaka remarks as she devoured the last of her portion, her energy refilled. “Thank you princess~”

Risa bats her eye several times after tasting the finest bread she ever took. “I didn’t know bread could be this good..”

“Well, you two deserve it anyway.” Yui smiles again and fixes the chair back to its original place. “I’ll be heading to the library to meet my tutor, so you two are free to do whatever you want.”

The girl leaves and heads for the door, the entrance to the hallway where the library can be found. She notices that the duo are right behind her and follows suit. She just smiles as they continue to follow her, and thought that she might be kidding herself if she was to say that the two would leave her for other businesses. They would always went on her side no matter what the circumstances are, and that part alone makes her smile unconsciously.

Yui sees her tutor reading a novel as soon as she enters the library, books of different volumes were piled on top of the wooden table beside her. Yone notices her arrival and stood up to greet the younger girl.

“Good morning princess,” She does a small bow before sitting back down on the table. The princess greets back and sits down in front of her, reaching for a small book scattered on the table. “Have you seen Techi? I’ve been trying to find her since this morning.”

Yui looks up from her book and shakes her head. “Mother told me she’s training with Miho today.”

Yone sighs and drops her shoulders. “That kid… I’m pretty upset with her grades lately.” 

“Is it that terrible or..?”

“Yui-san, she doesn’t even know what raft means…”

Yui blinks several times; although it was predicted that her younger sister can be a blockhead despite getting tutored by the most intelligent and adept magician within the kingdom, she couldn’t help but stifle a laughter. Manaka and Risa grunts and tried their hardest not to chuckle or laugh as well.

Yone shuns the princess by dropping a folder of test questionnaires on Yui’s side of the table. “She has to be grateful she isn’t the heiress of the throne, unlike someone right here…”

“Hey, my grades are decent!” Yone just fixes her spectacles and raises an eyebrow. “Well, I think.”

“I suppose so, it’s still better than your sister’s.”

“She’s just lucky I was born first…” The princess mumbles about and pouts. She stares at the sheet of paper with a set printed questions. It was divided into several sections and each part has ten to fifteen questions. First part has about ten blanks, which maybe the questions are from Yone herself.

Yone flips a page from her book and taps her pen on the table to catch her tutee’s attention. “First part is poetry reading, did you read the novel I gave you before?”

Yui nods, “The uhm, the world needs more love?”

“Yes. I’ll be reading an excerpt and you need to fill in the blanks.” Yone’s serious expression turns into a scary grin. “I hope you remember the poems written there..”

Luckily she is a bookworm and remembering words or even lines from different books is an easy task for her. Sometimes she didn’t even need to intentionally memorize it because the words itself sticks inside her head for a long period of time. 

But seeing that look on her tutor’s face made her think that maybe this’ll be the most painful tutor session she ever had.

Risa takes a look around and sees the same book Yone mentioned. It was a book covered in hardbound, baby blue cover that looked like a sky with clouds. It looks like it was from a green field with a lot of windmills fixed in a row. She flips a page and scans the back cover for the summary. It was about the persona breaking free from the oppressions from the world; she isn’t as fond as Yui when it comes to books but she sure had read some before.

All of a sudden, she feels an arm around her shoulders but she didn’t need to turn her head to know who it was. “What’s that?”

“The book Yui’s tutor is talking about.”

“Oooooh lemme see!” Manaka snatches the book from Risa’s hands and examines its pages. “If Yui reads it maybe it’s that good.”

“You don’t read books at all, Manaka….” Risa retorts but her partner shakes her head. “Well that’s a start if you really want to begin reading one. Try reading a part from that book.”

“Let’s see….”

While Manaka was busy trying to prove her interest in books, Risa walked through the other halls and rows of bookshelves filled by a hundred of books in different categories. She found a book about terrestrial hunting and landscaping, which caught her interest seeing there’s also about twenty pages of flowers.

It took her a good hour of strolling around the whole library in search of a book that may catch her interest but really, there’s none. Both her and Manaka grew up without going to a school unlike the other kids from middle-class families, they’re more flexible in hunting and crafting due to their… questionable past, so that’s why she never had a chance to touch a book before, nor able to read scriptures and simple sentences.

But that was already history. Risa knew both her and Manaka found a life worth living within the palace, plus they gained experience about getting trained in academics especially foreign language, vocabulary and reading comprehension. They also obtained the chance to be trained for the royals considering that their responsibility was the future queen of Zelkova.

Speaking of the future queen, Risa remembers Manaka and the book Yui’s mentor was talking about. She jogs back to where she found the book and there her partner was, still looking intently at one corner of the page. 

“Manaka?”

“Yeah?”

Risa approaches her partner and touches her shoulder. “Have you finally picked something to read?”

Manaka blinks her eyes several times before looking at her counterpart, closing the book afterwards. “....I can’t understand anything.”

 

“Aaaaah I can’t do this anymore!!” 

 

Alarmed, the duo drops the books they were holding and immediately sprinted to where the princess was, who was already slouching on the table filled with scattered questionnaires and answer sheets that would’ve been already mixed, seeing that her tutor Yone seems to look for a specific paper among the crowded sheets.

“Yui-san!?” Risa was halfway along the corridor when her voice was heard with her partner beside her. “Is something wrong? Do you feel ill?”

“What did you do?” Manaka goes straight to Yui’s tutor with a sharp glare. Yone doesn’t respond but instead she cocks her head to the side, confused. “Why is she like that?”

She just sighs and goes back to finding her own business, which got probably mixed up with the papers scattered on the table. Manaka raises an eyebrow and feels a tad bit annoyed at the tutor’s ignorance. She looks back at Risa and seems like the princess was okay; physically yes, mentally, not so sure.

“Relax, the girl is just stressed, is all.” Manaka turns her head back to Yui’s tutor, “We’re done with lesson today, feel free to escort the highness back inside her bedroom.”

But Manaka wasn’t listening. Instead, she finds a strange, weathered paper with strange signias drawn with descriptions below it. It wasn’t that strange at all seeing she had already encountered several family emblems with designs similar to the signias, but the only problem that caught her eye was the scripture written similar to hieroglyphics. She knew it was different, and it didn’t take her more than a minute to realize what it was, especially if there’s--

“Give me that!”

“Eh?”

“Please don’t stick your nose in other people’s businesses.” Yone snatches the paper from the guard and inserts it in between the pages of a large book. 

“My bad, but I didn’t know you were into summoning magic, Yone-san.” The tutor grunts and scoffs before she begins to compile papers inside a worn folder. “You should teach me sometime.”

“I would hate to burst your bubble Shida Manaka-san but sadly neither you or Watanabe Risa-san aren’t capable of summoning magic at all. Now please, if you would excuse me?” Manaka was surprised and taken aback by such words from such a person, but hey, if she does put it that way, then maybe it’s true after all. 

But Manaka believes more in physical prowess rather than magic, although the only advantage magic has is that it doesn’t really require any inhumane trainings or a mile of jogging. Plus, summoning magic is a part of active magic, and Manaka and Risa are only capable of using passive magic-- A kind of magic that transfer magical power into object and enchants them.

Now that that’s dealt with, she returns back to where the princess was and there she is, soundly asleep while Risa quietly reads a book in front of her. Shida pokes Yui on the cheek and giggles at how it bounces back immediately upon contact. She does it for a few more times and laugh every time, although she can’t shake the feeling fluttering inside her.

“Yui..” Manaka swallows before heaving a deep breath. Looking at her this close, she notices how peaceful the princess looks when she’s asleep; not like she isn’t when she’s awake, in fact, she still finds it hard to believe both Risa and her would encounter such a person, let alone be treated as her own….. siblings.

She takes the seat beside her for a better view and…. wow.

“Risa…?”

“..Yeah?” Risa places the book she was holding down on the table. She looks at Manaka who was looking at her gloved hand, closing and opening it with force enough to see her hand fidgeting. “What is it, Manaka?”

“I want to be stronger.” Her voice was as hard as steel, and from that sentence alone, Risa felt the same. “I want to protect her.”

Unconsciously, a smile creeps on Risa’s lips. She knows Manaka still doesn’t trust herself when it comes to her abilities, especially when their magic already manifested the first time they got ahold of their swords; but despite the risks, they both knew protecting the princess were their only purpose.

If it weren’t for her, they’d still be lost until now.

“Isn’t that why we’re here?”

“Yeah but, I still think it wasn’t enough.”

Manaka rests her elbow on the table and rests her chin on her fist, facing the girl beside her. She taps her fingers on the table while she just watched the princess drift in peace, Risa following the same.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, leaving kudos and comments! We hope you like it! :)

It was a little past noon and the guards woke the princess and took their lunch, with Yui mostly insisting they have to digest something pretty heavy to make up for their missed breakfast. Techi finally comes back pretty wounded from training with Miho-- it wasn’t that fatal for her, or so she says-- trying to resist ditching lunch and barely managing to finish it in the first place, she heads out for the training grounds again.

“Seems like our Techi is on that stage now huh..” King Yuuka remarks, and Queen Akane stifles a laughter. “How about you, Yui? Been doing good on your studies so far?”

And there the king cracks the question Yui’s been trying to avoid. She knew they never meant to do it, but this whole thing about her taking her baby steps as the heiress is slowly sinking in.

“Eh, so-so. Honestly I’m bad at Social Studies as well as Math, but I’ll manage.”

The King and Queen exchanged knowing glances, knowing full well how their daughter took that question. Akane nudges Yuuka with her foot on her leg, and Yuuka knew she has to save the princess’ current misery.

“You’ll definitely manage. We’re here to support you after all.” Yui looks up from her plate, and both of her mothers genuinely smiling at her. “Now finish your meal, I’m sure your guards are already waiting for you by the car.”

Her lips curled a bit, but of course she wouldn’t let them see it.

 

~~~~~~~

 

“Hey, Princess, excited for a new addition to your wardrobe?” Manaka grins as she opens the door of the car. Risa slides in from the other side. “Although I bet my inexistent money that you’re not really excited for the party.”

The Princess sighs as she enters the car, Manaka following suit. She has this smile that both of her guards knew how difficult it already is for her to keep up with the standards of her family. “You just have to get used to it, you know.”

The guards exchanged glances. Risa playfully pats her head, her usual grin present on her face. “But you’re doing great, princess. Even both me and Manaka thinks you don’t have to follow the standards of the Palace to be a good ruler. It’s a natural ability.”

“Yeah and, we don’t really mind whichever ruling style you pick and all that. Part of our duty is to ensure your happiness as well.” Manaka shrugs, smirking.

Yui’s shoulders drop, her lips twitching and confused. She ends up laughing at both of them; even pinching their cheeks for being too cheeky.

“Are you all set?” Ozeki interrupts, freshly back from bathroom break. “Sorry, the nearest restroom was closed for maintenance.”

“All is good.” The guards chimed, and Ozeki revs the engine.

Beyond those large gates with their family crest engraved at the middle, Yui knows she’s out again for a world she just partially knew. Out again at the city’s she’s going to handle sooner or later.

Their kingdom wasn’t the best, yet it isn’t the worst either. If anything, the kingdom was already perfect enough for the people residing in it; they loved their rulers, resources are abundant and they were never involved in a petty warframe against other lands. It’s just a normal kingdom with a neutral status, often turning down alliances from other lands to avoid unexpected casualties, and often acted as a mediator for warring kingdoms instead.

The busy streets are an unusual view for her, not in a bad way, it’s just that she only got used to staring at her bedroom window with only pastures and landscaped garden flowers in her view.

Apparently the car has the Kingdom’s flag attached to it, and it easily gained attention for the townspeople. Yui waves her hand, basking in the warm smiles of every passers-by at her, and she never got tired, despite how long it usually takes for them to go past the mild traffic of vendors and markets.

The guards could only stare at her, and how they lowkey wished they’d see more of that smile from her everyday.

Eventually the car gradually slowed down, Ozeki carefully maneuvering the wheel as they come to a halt. She pulls the break and leaves the hazard on. “We’re here.”

“Thanks, Ozeki.” The trio rang, Risa patting her on the shoulder before they leave from Manaka’s side of the car.

“Good Afternoon, Princess,” the dresser greets, formally bowing as she motions her helpers beside her. “The Highnesses have informed me beforehand about the garb you might wish to procure.”

“Is it only one or can I choose?” Yui starts, glancing around the grand boutique. “I appreciate the effort by the way.”

“Ah of course, choose whatever that suits your taste.” She bows, and the princess followed. Each of the helpers were already holding onto a dress, patiently waiting for her to try it all out.

The guards were obviously embezzled with the shine and complexity of the dresses around the store. Manaka gulped at the sight of a backless gown, sequins used as the main material for the outfit. Meanwhile Risa’s eyes were glued at the gown that showed a bit more cleavage of the mannequin, and even though they both knew the princess never dared to wear such… things.. Well, they never know.

“Come, let’s see what they have.” Yui grins, pulling them towards the dressing room.

“We have three dresses specially sewn according to your proportions,” The dresser chimes, “So don’t worry about not suiting any of them!”

“I think this’ll look good on you, princess.” Risa raises a hand towards the third helper who’s holding a royal blue dress. “It’s simple, but simplicity is key.”

“Man, Risa, you have bad tastes,” Manaka chides, a mischievous grin present on her face. Risa raises her eyebrows, smirking.

“Princess, this will look better on you.” She carefully takes the silver dress from the first helper, raising it to give them a full view of the outfit. There’s a nice contrast between the silver colour and the slightly darker hues from the foot of the dress. “You should apply red lipstick along with this and give them a dominant aura kind of vibe.”

Risa stifles a laughter. “Seriously? Red lipstick? Is this a personal fetish or--”

“Hey, red lipstick is a nice change of pace!”

The poor helpers were glancing at the princess and back at the duo, but Yui only sighed, her lips curled a bit.

“I’ll take try on the second dress, if I may.” She smiles at the dresser, and the latter clasps her hands together in delight. “Excellent choice!”

Risa and Manaka eventually quiet down, now that Yui actually picked a dress neither of the two of them picked, but at least that’s equal. Yui will be the one wearing it anyway.

The guards felt their bodies rush with anticipation. What dress could she possibly pick? Was it backless? Off-shoulders? Does it show more skin than normal?

They never know.

“Your bust size must have gotten quite larger. I was sure your records were accurate but I didn’t know they’ll actually increase in size.” The dresser speaks from inside the dressing room, helping Yui.

“Bust size..?” Manaka repeats. “Hey, Risa, do you know..?”

“How should I know?” Risa shrugs, though her ears are evidently red. “I-I mean I never..”

They stood still, arms crossed, their feet tapping on the floor as they waited. Patiently.

Both of them felt their feet ache at how long it was taking them to wear the dress, but they were not in the position to complain. Will the wait be worth it? How many buttons does that dress actually have and why did it took too long for them to toggle it all?

Soon, their prayers were answered and the door of the dressing room opens, but there weren’t many buttons, and they are sure as hell that the wait was worth it.

“Hi.” Yui waves a hand at her guards, who had their mouths hanged a bit open. “Does it look good?”

The dress was a mix of simple and… dominant, as Manaka would’ve put it. It’s a mix of both Royal Blue and Silver, and what else could they possibly want? She’s so---- gah.

“I-I uh.. n-no, uh, yes I mean..” Manaka stutters, her teeth clacking at how impossibly attractive the princess looked. Her vocabulary has failed her and she ends up covering her face with a hand to hide her blood rushing to her cheeks.

She glances at Risa, who was biting her fist. Her foot tapping on the floor became a bit loud, and soon she stops, heaves a deep breath and exhales sharply. She gulps, her face beet red.

Both of them were distinctly difficult to talk to for the meantime.

“Looks like they liked it.” the dresser chimes.

“They loved it.” Yui winks at both of her guards, and she can’t possibly be more amused.

 

 

~~~~~

 

“Hey Techi?”

“Hm.”

“Techi?”

“Yeah.”

“...Techi.”

“What?” Techi looks up from the ground, her cheeks covered in mild bruises and a bit of blood smudged across her chin. And of course Yui noticed the dark purple bruise around her left eye. “This is a part of the training.”

“You call bruises and your black eye ‘just training’?” Yui scolds, and Techi grimaces. “Even worse, there’s a party tonight and you didn’t even try to consider that first?”

“Eh, I’ll cover it with make-up.”

Yui sighs. Heavily.

“Do you even realize what are you gonna do once the night comes, right?”

“I just roam around and introduce myself, that’s the only thing I always do around parties we go to anyway.” The second princess shrugs, taking her towel and wiping the rest of her sweat from her skin.

Miho quietly drinks her water, wincing as she tried raising her bottle to her lips. “Sorry, Princess. I guess we overdid it.”

Presumming there’s no other choice but to accept, Yui slumps her shoulders in defeat.

A loud groan echoes from the courtyard, as Suzumoto stretches her arms and legs before lying on the grass. She too, has some bruises on her skin. “Daaang I’m so tired… I wanna sleep like a rock for the rest of the day.”

“You can take a shower then rest for a bit.” The only one who didn’t have any spots on her skin, Fuuchan, starts, “But be sure to be ready by dusk.”

“Welp, I’m beat.” Techi slowly tries to stand. “Hey, sis, can I borrow your make-up?”

“I don’t think my make-up will--”

“Leave it to me then,” Nao, who was idly standing behind Yui with Miku, suddenly interrupts, “I mean, cover your bruises and such.”

“We should bring her to Doc Naako first to sanitize some of her wounds,” Miku adds, “Will that be okay?”

Techi sighs and nods her head. “I’m gonna take a long shower after this…”

The whole scene was a normal sight for Yui, although it sometimes is a bit of a wonder how Fuuchan manages to keep her composure and look like she didn’t actually receive any blows from their sparring, but she wouldn’t invade.

She leaves them to their own devices, and silently heads straight to her room.

Techi is a good kid, but she’s not really fond of someone calling her princess or anything of those sorts. More than anything, she’s more focused to be potent than actually trying to be more princess-type, mainly because Yui knows that Techi doesn’t really think about it, since she’s not the crown princess anyway.

 _Not the crown princess_.

Somehow it still left a bad taste in her mouth, and it’s pretty worrying how Techi seemed too carefree despite being a royal.

But then again, she’s not the crown princess, so she doesn’t have any standards to reach.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~

 

The guards knew nights are usually cold, especially outside and the Kingdom is close to the forest. The breeze was strong, probably even stronger than the air conditioning unit at the Palace; but why does it feel so unusually hot all of a sudden?

Manaka and Risa knew they were gonna be sitting beside the Princess inside the car, the usual, there won’t be any changes happening, the party will still continue, and the Princess will definitely continue being frustratingly gorgeous in that dress, for god knows how long.

“All set?” Ozeki rang, and the guards squeaked.

“A-All set?”

“I-Is the princess already here though?”

“Manaka, I’m right here.”

“..Sorry.” The latter bites her lip, averting her gaze from the confusing gaze Yui has. She pulls the collar of her uniform, desperately allowing the air to enter her clothes.

“Ozeki, is the AC already on?” Risa suddenly asks. “I mean, I know it is on but I think isn’t high enough.”

“I’m literally shivering from the cold.” Ozeki rebutts, “And it’s on the highest setti-- why are you both sweating?”

The driver turns and looks at the back seat, only to see the highness looking back and forth between Risa and Manaka, both faces shrouded in agony of some sort and both are obviously avoiding Yui’s subtle glances.

Yui was smirking, and she knew how hopeless these two are.

She wraps her arms around each of theirs and lightly pulled them closer to her. “Since it’s evident you two actually liked me in this dress, why don’t you scare my suitors later then?”

  
The guards knew this is going to be a short, albeit a painful ride.


	3. Chapter 3

The morning briefing is as tense as one would expect after such attack.

Manaka and Risa both could feel the tension in the air, the serious expression they rarely see in everyone’s faces-- Especially the King and Queen. They looked so angry they could scare demons away.

Everyone in the Royal Family’s inner circle are present today.

Koike Minami, the Spymaster, stood behind a table. She is busy typing something into her laptop, trying to get her presentation up. Each guards are standing behind their master.

With King Yuuka, stands Uemura Rina and Nibu Akari. Uemura holds a tablet on her hand, ready to type down all the important informations that is relayed during the presentation by Koike so that the King can review them at any moment. Meanwhile, Nibu’s face is still beaming with a smile. When their eyes met, Nibu waved at them. And yet, her other hand is holding her sword in a way that allows her to quickly draw it. That was one the reason why she managed to stop the bullet yesterday. On their uniform, there’s a patch of an raven facing left.

Next to the King, is Queen Akane. Behind her, Miyata Manamo and Tomita Suzuka. They can see Manamo’s fire kitsune peeking out from her chest pocket. It looks bigger than its usual size, and they can see two tails instead of one tail. Her fire magic seals can be made invisible, but trained eyes like theirs could spot several hovering outside windows to protect them. Like Uemura, she is also holding a tablet. Suzuka looks bored, and yet her eyes are alert and sharp. Her left hand rested on her sword’s handle, ready to take action at any second. On their uniform, a patch of a raven facing right.

Behind Hirate, there’s Saito Fuyuka and Suzumoto Miyu. Even from across the table, they could spot the hidden blade Miyu is holding. She have the same expression as Suzuka, but they can see the anger in her eyes. The same anger can be found in Hirate’s eyes. Meanwhile, Fuyuka looked relaxed. Like it’s just another day’s briefing, in fact, somehow she looked amused. As usual, they can’t really read what she has in mind.

“Finally!” Koike cheered, as her presentation showed up in the big screen. Noticing that she has accidentally drawn the attention to herself, embarrassedly cleared her throat, and started the briefing.

“As everyone in the room as know, we were attacked last night. From the bodies we collected, the number of attacker was about 18 person. However, we suspected that some people managed to escape, so we couldn’t get the exact number of attacker. As for casualties, 13 guards are KIA and 9 civilians are killed. At least a hundred are injured, both lightly or heavily, but from latest report says only ten are still in the need to be hospitalized.” Koike explained as she showed the slides one by one, the pictures from the scene. The dead bodies, the bullet holes, all that. “The attackers all bear the same tattoo, a centipede. These people are from underground mercenary group, one of the cheap brutal ones. My sources tells me that they have already escaped from the capital, but i already alerted the border guards. Hopefully, they can catch them.”

“Do you have any information on their employer?” The King spoke out. Koike’s expression darken.

“Yes, Your Majesty. But…” Koike paused. “Yes. And they are related to Einherjar.”

Several expressions changed.

Yuuka and Akane looked at each other, worry visible on their face. Manamo and Uemura visibly tensed, and the relaxed expression in Fuyuka has completely disappeared. When even Fuyuka turned serious, it’s a sign that what they are facing is a major problem.

The younger guards and the princesses become alerted by the sudden change.

“Ein-herrr--njar?” Manaka carefully repeated. “What’s that?”

“Ein -- her -- jar.” Koike corrected. “The princesses probably has heard about this in your history lesson but… A couple of years after the King and Queen got married, there was a movement that named themselves Einherjar. These people are dissatisfied with the marriage and scarred by the War of the Roses, they thought that King Yuuka only bring misfortune to the kingdom. They… rebelled. It was an unexpected one, one that we almost lost…The Queen managed to win support back with the royal regalia, turning the situation almost immediately.”

“We thought we managed to end Einherjar right there and then, but I… I actually has been receiving reports that some dissatisfied nobles are trying to revive the movement.” Koike bit her lips. “If only I have taken action…”

“It’s alright. If even you failed to know about the attack, that means they have taken precautions and carefully move in the shadows.” Yuuka comforted Koike. “But, we cannot let them strike again. Years ago they… were turning people against us. But it seems like they no longer care about civilians. They might do another brutal action like yesterday.”

“Yes, your majesty. I have several suspects in mind, and I have sent my sources to follow the leads, but we have not enough evidence to drag these suspects out in the open. We need to be very careful, as we are dealing with old and respected nobles in the kingdom… Led by Count Harvest.” Koike warned.

“Me and Yuuka will be leaving the kingdom for a week. Won’t they try to do something else within this time?” Akane spoke up. “Count Harvest… Is he even attending the event yesterday?”

“No, your majesty. He said he has something else to do that day, but didn’t specify why.” Manamo quickly replied, checking the data on her tablet. “Ah-- But he said he is resting on his villa. It’s located just outside the capital.”

“The group is bigger and more organized than we thought then. His henchman must be still in the Capital.” Yui assessed the situation. “Mother, don’t worry about us. Now that we know who we face, i’m sure that me and Hirate could take care of this alone.”

“It’s okay, Akane.” Yuuka put her hand over her wife’s, she looked at her with an easing smile. “It might be a good experience for Yui too.”

Ahhh that’s right. Yui thought. I am the Crown Princess. Of course. It’s only natural of me to do this…

Akane glanced at her oldest daughter, but then sighed in defeat.

“Alright, you win.” She said, as she turned to Fuyuka. “We’ll be relying on you.”

“Aye, aye, mam.” Fuyuka gave a mock salute, her usual smile returned to her face.

\---

“The person we are visiting today is Ohzuka, he is the leader of the Capital’s merchant group.” Risa read them the file of the person they are ‘interviewing’, with Ozeki driving on the driver’s seat. “Koike has managed to track several suspicious transaction into his account, under several fictional shipment that doesn’t exist in the official record. Each of those shipments are shipped into the kingdom by one of Count Harvest’s company.”

“Can’t we just get the police to question him?” Manaka innocently asked.  
“It’ll cause a scandal if it’s proven untrue, or if nothing can be connected to him.” Yui explained, and Manaka nodded in understanding. However, her puzzled look makes Yui doubt she actually understand what she meant.

Ozeki drove their unmarked black sedan inside the parking lot in the basement of the merchant group’s headquarter, a 20-something floor tall building located just outside and overlooking the pier.

“We’ll call you.” Risa tapped her shoulder, before exiting the car from her side as she drops them by the basement lobby.

After clearing access (Yui only need to show her face and make orders), they are taken directly to Ohzuka’s office. It’s a beautiful office, with a great view of Zelkova Bay. Ohzuka himself is seated behind his work desk, slightly pale from the sudden visit-- And they suspected from what he’s trying to hide.

“Go-good morning, Princess Yui.” Ohzuka greeted nervously. “What business may I help you--”

“I want you to tell me everything you know about these shipments.” Yui took one of the important looking papers on his desk and turned it over. She took a pen on the desk and wrote down several codes consisted of numbers and alphabets on it. “Just so you know, our cells doesn’t really offer a view as great as the one outside the window.”

“Ooohhh feisty-- Ouch!” Manaka’s whisper cut when Risa purposely step on her feet. Luckily, no one else hear it.

Ohzuka took the paper with his trembling hands.  
“Einherjar.” He surrendered in a whisper, his eyes wet with tears. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. I knew too--”

“Save your excuses. We don’t have time for that.” Yui cuts him off. “Tell me everything you know about it.”

“H-Harvest approached me. Tells me he got some illegal shipments he needs to smuggle inside the kingdom. He told me it was drugs-- I swear!” Ohzuka gulped. “I did as he told but- but I only knew everything last night. I was there at the party, you know!”

“And you survived.” Yui spats back, a look of disgust visible in her face. “Continue.”

“That-That’s all i know.” Ohzuka looked down in defeat. “He-He didn’t give me much details but--”

Ohzuka shut his mouth with his hand and in panic he dropped down to his his knee and crawled under his table. “I can’t! I can’t tell you more!”

“And why is that?” Risa pulled Yui away from the table, from the window, positioning herself in front of her master. Manaka already pulled out her sword, crouching behind the table as she looked for potential attackers. “Ohzuka-san?”

“I-- I--.” He quickly ran from under the table, trying to reach Yui. Before he could, though, Manaka already tackled him down, resting her now enchanted body on his back. “No!! No!!! The-they have my family!! He--He have ears and eyes everywhere. If i tell you what you want to know…”

Yui quickly waved her finger, using a spell that allows her to detect hidden objects-- as long as she know what she’s looking for. In her eyes, three small object are glowing in orange light. She cursed under her breath, regretting not taking precautions and getting rid of them from the start. Their opinion are limited now, one wrong move and Ohzuka will lose his family.

“Princess,” Risa gently shook her shoulder. Seeing how calm she looked like, somehow puts Yui at ease. “Your order?”

“Call the police, throw this man in jail.” Yui commanded. “Bring his family in for questioning as well. If he doesn’t want to talk, then we have to ask investigate whether his family has ever met them or not.”

Ohzuka sobbed in relief, this way her family will safe. If they went missing or injured, Einherjar will only be giving them tracks to follow. His tears wet the carpet beneath him, thanking Yui between his sobs.

“It ended up being a party.” Manaka said, locking Ohzuka’s office behind her after the police cleared their investigation. “Should’ve just called them from the beginning.”

“You really are dumb.” Risa shook her head, with Manaka just glaring at her. The three of them are waiting for the elevator to arrive. “In any case, we can’t ask him question until we make sure that he and his family are secure, and time is a luxury that we don’t have right now.”

“In that case!” The long haired girl inside the elevator said, as soon as the elevator door opened in their floor. She opens her arms wide, like welcoming them. “Let me he--”

Before she could finish her sentence, Manaka has taken a grab of her shirt and shoved her onto the elevator’s wall strong enough to left a small dent. The sharp end of her sword positioned to where her heart is, and Manaka used her elbow to pin her left hand. Risa is next to her, pinning the girl’s other hand with her left hand, her sword pressed against the stranger’s neck.

“Who are you?” Yui stepped inside the elevator. She casually pressed the button to basement floor, like nothing is happening behind her.

“My name is Sato Shiori.” The girl introduced herself. “I mainly work as an art dealer. But sometimes I do… varieties of ‘odd jobs’, as well.”

“How do you know what we are talking about?” Manaka growled a question. “What do you use?”

“Calm down, wolfie. It’s my magic.” Shiori said. “Well, can’t exactly put a demonstration in this condition.”

“Assuming that you already know the situation, what help can you give to us?” Yui turned to meet Shiori in the eye. Her face looked devoid of trust, but Yui couldn’t hide her curiosity. That small interest she shows brings a smile to Shiori’s face.

“Where the shipments are going.” Shiori offered. “I know where Harvest hides them.”

“How do we know that you are not lying to us? Luring us into a trap?” Risa cuts in.

“Well, my life is-- literally-- in your hand right now.” Shiori shrugged. “Why would I risk my life like a fool if I’m not offering the truth?”

There are some truth in that logic.

“If this is a true, what do you want as a reward?” Yui asked. “You are a merchant of odd jobs, not some kind citizen who kidly tipped the government about some possible evil plot.”

“Ouch. That hurts me, your majesty… You’re not wrong though.” Shiori grinned. “What i want is a favor.”

“A favor?” Yui repeated.

“Yes. A favor.” Shiori nodded. “I don’t exactly have anything i need right now. But a favor from the crown princess-- no, from the kingdom, could be helpful in the future.”

Risa and Manaka looked at Yui, waiting for their master’s decision. A favor from the royal family worth an unthinkable amount of gold, an army of trained soldiers, and a dozen of lifetime.

“Make it a favor from me, and we have a deal.” Yui negotiated. Even as the crown princess, there are limits to what she can do.

“Deal.” Shiori quickly agreed to. “Now, can you ask your wolves to put me down?”

Yui nodded at her guards as a signal, and Manaka and Risa let Shiori down to the ground with a loud thud, followed by an “Ouch” and the soft ding from the elevator.

“The location.” Yui asked. Risa and Manaka are standing to block the elevator’s door from closing. “Now.”

Shiori flicked her fingers, and suddenly something rang from Yui’s phone. She took out her phone to find a blank email from an unknown sender, in there attached a GPS location.

“How--” Yui looked up, and Shiori is nowhere to be seen. She turned to Manaka and Risa for answer, but she’s just as confused as she is. What kind of magic can do that? Yui makes sure to ask Yone about it later.

The place they are heading to right now is to an industrial zone just west of the capital. Risa alerted Koike about it, and asked for reinforcements to raid the warehouse complex.

Because the warehouse is located by a forest, the three decided to head down on foot. Aside from wanting to sneak inside and confirm their suspicion before wrecking havoc, they also want to avoid ambush-- Just in case Shiori really is lying to them.

Observing from behind the trees and bushes, the three spots that the security is pretty lax. Just several security guards in blue uniforms, but they also spot several tough mercenary like men in militia uniform patrolling around a particular building.

Yui let Manaka and Risa led her in, finding time between patrols. Manaka broke the lock of a back door, allowing them to go inside.

For a big warehouse, the number of boxes stored inside is pitiful and scattered all over the places. Most of them are already opened and empty, the leftovers are just plastics and cables. 

“Did they got robbed?” Manaka asked, sitting on top of one of the boxes they already checked. “It’s so empty.”  
“With security like that, the thief must be a jackass.” Risa argued. She was checking a large work table, she was checking all the tools scattered about when she noticed a greyish powder. She swipes it with her finger, rubbing and smelling it.

“This is gunpowder.” Risa holds out her finger, to which Manaka quickly sniffed at.  
“Yes.” Manaka agreed, a look of worry appeared on her face. “Plastics and cables… And that work table...”  
“Possibly IEDs.” Risa grimly said. “And with a warehouse this big… We’re not dealing with just a dozen.”

“We need to alert everyone.” Yui said, as they can hear the sound of siren approaching from the distance, their reinforcements. “Do we have a clue of their targets?”

They turned the warehouse upside down, but they found nothing to help them.

“Risa, tell Hirate and Miho to take the army and secure the city.” Yui ordered, she just got an idea. “Manaka, ask if we can borrow a heli.”

“Okay but… A heli?” Manaka exchanged a confused look with Risa. “Where are we going?”

“Defusing the bombs… By going straight to the source.” Yui replied. “We are going to visit Count Harvest.”

 

Count Harvest doesn’t look as old as his age, which is in the 50s. He is tall and lean, his body is fit and from the way he stood Yui quickly deduced that he was a military man. He stood on the side of the heliport, welcoming their arrival on his villa. Several men dressed in the same uniform and carrying the same set equipments as the one they saw patrolling the warehouse are guarding him.

“Your highness!” He shouted, so that his voice can be heard over the loud sounds of the chopper. “It’s a surprise to see you here!”  
“I’m sorry, Count Harvest.” Yui replied, yelling as loud as he is. “But i won’t be bothering you here if it wasn’t for something urgent.”  
“I fully understand, your highness. It just surprised me.” Harvest yelled back, and leads them inside his villa-- a century old small castle that was built by his ancestors. “Please, come inside. I have told my servants to prepare for us some warm tea.”

Harvest led them toward a guest room, which is located in the same floor as the heliport.

“I have another guest room in the first floor. This one is for meeting like this.” Harvest quickly explained to his guests, casually showing his wealth as he sat on an expensive looking couch. “Please, please, sit down.”

Yui took the offer, and took a seat in a similar looking couch located in front of Harvest’s. Manaka and Risa position themselves behind her, but they also take turns leaving their position to take a look around the room. Harvest’s guards was about to make a move on them, but Harvest raised his hand slightly as a sign to leave them be.

Manaka and Risa noticed that small exchanged, they also noticed how one of the guards locked the door as soon as the servant carrying the tea left the room, and how some of the guards positioned themselves in a way that surround them as well as blocking any possible escape route like the door or the windows. Their weapons are readied, their hands rested in a position that will allow them to reach and pull the trigger as soon as they pointed their weapon.

“So, Princess Yui,” Harvest started, placing down his cup after taking a sip of it. “What urgent business are you here for? If it’s about Ohzuka or the warehouse, i have already been informed about it.”  
“I’m not here to beat around the bush, Count Harvest. It’s nearing midnight, and i just want to go home and sleep, so i’ll cut straight to the point.” Yui calmly answered. “It’s about Einherjar.”

Everyone in the room but Yui and her guards tensed, even Harvest couldn’t hide his surprise. He didn’t expect the crown princess to be this bold, or this foolish. He first reaction was to laugh.

“Ah. I guess my men are being sloppy then, if you managed to track it down.” Harvest glared at his guards. “Yes, your highness. You are right. I am the current leader of Einherjar.”

“The current?”

“The rest are either dead or imprisoned by your parents.” Harvest raised the tone of his voice. “I am the only one left to carry the torch, but first of many.”  
“Are you? All your soldiers are part of the same mercenary group that attacked the party, aren’t they?” Yui pointed out. “You are the last of the Einherjar, the rests are just in for the money.”

“Watch your words, princess, if you still wish to live.” Harvest hissed, and received a cold glare from Manaka and Risa. Just like him before, Yui raised her hand to tell them to hold back. But unlike Harvest, Yui kept her hand up. This only angered Harvest more. “You are just like your mother.”

“Which one?” Yui frowned, keeping a tight control over her emotion, as she lowered her hand down. “You need to be specific with that one.”

“Both of them are just as bad as the other one.” Harvest spat. “The King dragged us into a war we don’t want, many people died in a foreign land, fighting for a country that is not their home. I don’t understand why The Tree blessed the Queen with the regalia.”

“That means, they are the rightful ruler of the kingdom. How hard is it to accept?”

“Both of them are women.” Harvest huffed in anger. “The King has dulled the Queen’s fang. So many international accident happened, and yet they preferred peace. Remember the pirate attack on Starlight cruiser? So many of our citizens died in the pirate raid. If it were someone much more fitting to rule the kingdom, if it were a male, it it were me, i would hunt those pirates down and raze their village to the ground.”

“If it were you, huh?” Yui sighed. “From what my tutor teached me, i can sort of sympathize with Einherjar. The real Einherjar, considering the situation from that time. But what you are fighting for here is just pure greed, pure ego.”

“Stop this insolence!” Harvest stood up, his guards pointed their weapon at them. Manaka and Risa entered their stance, their eyes studying the enemies around them, but there is no fear or panic from their face. Yui calmly sips her tea, and placed them down on the table.

“Is this is an attack against the royal family, Count Harvest?” Yui stood up as well, staring at the enemy in front of her. “Because i feel threatened.”

“We have you outnumbered.” Harvest grinned.

“Count Harvest, do you know what will happen when you release a pair of wolves upon a pack of sheeps? Even if you dress them like wolves, the real one will know and tear them apart.” The grin in his face disappeared. “But today is not their feeding time, as the wolves master is especially angered by the foolish man.” 

An enormous light blue magic circle appeared on the floor in seconds, without warning, it encased Harvest’s guards in ice. The temperature of the room dropped as if it’s the coldest day of winter.

“No-- Stop--” For Harvest, Yui especially made sure that it’s not an instant one like his men, the ice crawled up from his feet. “Your highness, please forg--”

His words are cut off as the ice encased him completely, until someone broke off the spell, which won’t happen until the police are here.

Yui sighed, realizing that she has let her emotion get the better of her once again, and swayed slightly on her feet. A reassuring hand quickly caught her shoulder, and another rested on her waist to support her. Risa and Manaka looked at her with worry as they stood beside her.

“Yui,” Manaka softly asked. “Are you okay?”

Yui

The only call her that, in that tone, when they are alone. Yui has told them that it’s okay for them to do it openly in public, they are just as close as siblings now, with Hirate looking up to them like sisters too. But they refused, they say that it feels rude and impolite of them to call the crown princess casually like that.

“Sit down.” Risa gently pushed her down toward the couch. “You haven’t properly rest or eat all day, and you used most of your energy for this show.”

“Do you think I should find someone who can get her something to eat?” Manaka asked. “The door is locked but I can just break it.”

“... Manaka, we just froze their master.”

“And he’s going to jail after this.” Manaka shrugged, and then grinned. “I’ll get us a free dinner!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry for the super late update. We both got busier irl and sort of lost direction after the graduations... Apologize in advance if this chapter feel too rushed, we hope we can regain our spirit in future chapters.
> 
> Note:  
> 1\. Yuipon, Manaka, Risa is about 17~18 years of age, with Manaka Risa being older than Yuipon is.  
> 2\. Akane, Yuuka, Manamo, Koike, Fuuchan and several more character are old friends, they fought and survived the War of Roses together (more details coming later).  
> 3\. Yes, Nibu is the strongest royal guard with Suzuka being 2nd behind her!


End file.
